Death of a creek

[Futzer 0]

I was lucky enough to fish yesterday with my favorite fishing buddy. We headed for one of our favorite remote streams. This little tail water creek meanders down a scenic canyon, and the only access is hiking on a coal train railroad track. It is a place I have cherished for 25 years. It does not get a great deal of pressure, and while the fish are not typically large, there are a few pigs to be found. The canyon is heavily shaded, so going there at this time of year is iffy, as it may be frozen over. The weather has been warm, and that area of Utah has not had the normal snowfall. So it was a risky adventure, but we were hopeful for catching it, just as the water had opened up. Also, it was the first weekend of his early retirement, of my recently laid off friend, after 19 years with his company. At only 42, he is a little out of sorts right now. A little fun was in order.

The anticipation of a nice midge hatch on open water was electric as we joked in the car on the way. We arrived at the turn-off to the parking lot near the dam. The water below it was clear and looked mostly open. This reservoir supplies a coalmine, and some farming, though if you drive 30 minutes South, the geography is red sand stone desert dotted with sagebrush. Normally, you can drive down the short dirt road and park just off the stream, before striking out to hike down the canyon. The road was covered with 14 or so inches of corn snow and ice, so I parked up on the pavement and we hiked. As soon as we reached the water, I stood silent and shocked. Normally, there would be about 10 cfs flow, Due to some construction on the dam water was being pumped in. I doubt there was a full two cfs flow. Normally, at the dam there is about 2 to 3 feet deep water and down stream the pools are up to 8 feet deep. As we stared at the first plunge pool, the 18-inch deep water held 50 or 60 small, stressed out trout. The stream below the pool was 2 inches deep. Dissapointed, but hoping the feeders to the stream would make fishing down stream ok. we took the opportunity to hike down about 2 miles to our first favorite S curve pool. We found the deepest point was 4 inches. Normally this pool is 3 to 4 feet deep. We hiked about 3 miles down in total, and only found two holes with fish; the biggest brownie was at most 7 inches long. The fish in those holes were really stressed out. As the weather warms, if the flow is not increased there will be a total fish kill. We had already noticed a couple recently dead trout in each hole. In times past, we would see 20 or so fish in each run, and normally up to 16 inches; thick, healthy fish.

I am not sure why I posted this, I will make some phone calls about the low flow, but the damage is done. There is really nothing to do now. The wild browns and rainbows will not be back any time soon. My buddy and I reminisced over trips past, the one time I had landed a 26" brown on a small olive bugger. The day we each landed 50 plus fish on dries, nearly all were sight cast to. Days nymphing where several times we had two fish on, while using a tandem nymph rig. Many great memories. The only wild memory from this trip was spotting a huge red tailed hawk as is chased a duck in flight. We watched it make three dives at it's prey hitting the duck hard once, but not taking it down.

 

Do what you can to protect your favorite spots.

 

Cheers, Futzer.

[Dezod 0]

Futzer that is too bad. My dad taught me to fish on a small stream, like the one you describe, in northern Utah. It is still there, but through everything they allow to go on up there it has changed so dramatically in the last 10-15 years that my dad refuses to go up there, and when he does he cries. This prolonged drought has had a significant impact on so many of those small streams. It is, however, even more frustrating when they choose, like on a tailwater, to not care about the streams.

 

I am young, with a young family and I just really hope I have a place to teach my grandkids how to drift a dry to rising trout.

 

C

[Futzer 0]

Hi C, Thanks, this is a too often told story these days, I empathize that you cannot share the same history with your kids. I will PM you the name of a small stream in

Northern-ish Utah to check out, it is still pretty good. While it was great to be out with a good friend that I do not see often enough and a really good hike in the sun, it exacerbates me that water in the West is so fought over and taken for granted for many reasons.

 

Cheers, Jeff

[mtbbrian 0]

If HB 187 becomes law, there will be fewer places still to fish in Utah.

Thanks for your story Jeff, I am not quite sure where you are talking about.

Brian

[smallieFanatic 0]

Too bad, there is nothing better then a stream like that. How horrible.

 

Jan

[skyphix 0]

That's terrible, Futzer. If you have any, get in touch with a local conservation organization and ask that they petition for minimum flows. Its a shame, these tiny streams get put under that kind of stress. We all understand the need for industrialization but there can and should be a nice balance. 10cfs isn't too much to ask.

 

I'm lucky in that one person in my family is a hydrodam rebuilder/turbine rebuilder. He is planning on damming a large set of falls on his property feeding a small stream full of very healthy smallmouth as well as a big yearly walleye run. He asked my opinion on design considerations for the dam in order to keep the fishery healthy and allow the continued return of walleye (a rarity in my part of the state at this point) to the creek.

[Futzer 0]

I was hesitant to post this photo, as it looks better than the situation, but where Havana, the dog is standing would normally be under water. The pool behind my friend looks deep, but is only 4 inches. I could not bring myself to take any shots of the really bad looking stream bed.

 

Cheers, Futzer.

[skyphix 0]

I've seen ground springs that had more water in it than that. Its pretty clear that there is supposed to be quite a bit more flow there.

[utyer 0]

I think I know that place. A real shame, and it happens too often. Thats why I am happy to be a part of an organization that is trying to reclaim many of the mine damaged streams and rivers here. It takes years, but we have had many successes. Rivers that once ran black are now holding smallmouth, and trout in the cooler stretches. Not much help for you but I feel your loss. I too will miss that place, I guess I can cross it off my list of places to revisit when I retire.

 

 

 

[oatka 0]

That's really sad.

 

As a kid I'd visit my grandparents in Provo every other year, and it's there in Utah I first fly fished. One of my favorite small streams there is most likely the complete opposite from the shallow creek you found.....recent checks on the internet have shown that they dammed up the creek and created a reservoir. It would be sad to go there and see that place gone.

 

Good luck in your efforts to make a change.

[Chase Creek 0]

Agreed. There is nothing so sad as to visit a small stream that has been destroyed or mutilated by "progress". There are a few streams in Northern Michigan that I fished for many years, starting in High School, that are either no longer there, or demoted to drainage ditches for over fertilized fields. Very sad.

[Futzer 0]

I recieved an email back from the DWR, they are looking into it, and mentioned that there was a commitment with the construction crew for a minimum flow pumped in, and it looks like that is not met. Hopefully it will get resolved, but I won't be back other than for a hike and a look later, to check on it.

 

Cheers, Jeff.

[Horseshoes 0]

Sorry to hear that Futzer. Would be interested in an update if you ever get one. It is not a nice thing to hear but I am glad you are voicing it. Wish more would.

[Houndog 0]

That's unfortunate Jeff, and well worth posting, hopefully you made a difference and the flow will be increased.

 

By the picture it's obvious that more water had been there, and it looks like a beautiful place to fish.

[smalltownfisherman 0]

Thats a bummer.